


Warmth of Body, Warmth of Heart

by tony_octopus



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: M/M, Snowball Fight, Strifehart Secret Santa 2018, vampire!Cloud
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 00:12:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17172170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tony_octopus/pseuds/tony_octopus
Summary: It's cold outside, but Cloud feels warmer than he has in a long time. Possibly, maybe, thanks in part even to Yuffie's snowballs.





	Warmth of Body, Warmth of Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anaer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anaer/gifts).



> This is the Secret Santa story for anaer, who requested vampire!Cloud. I'd never tried that before, but I did my best, so I hope everybody likes it. <3

Cloud breathed at his cold fingers, more out of habit than to warm them up. His breath was just as cool as all the rest of his body, only exacerbated by the frigid temperatures. At least he could spend a lot more time outdoors if he wanted, what with the long nights of winter.

The short hairs at the back of his neck prickled, and he quickly ducked to let a snowball sail over his head. He turned to give his would-be assailant an unimpressed stare.

Yuffie pouted. “Come on, at least let me hit you once! You really suck, Cloud.” A broad grin stole onto her face as she struck a pose. “Pun totally intended, nyuk nyuk nyuk!”

Cloud snorted softly. While all his friends had accepted his changed status with grace and offered support, Yuffie was the only one who kept bringing it up, endlessly ribbing him about everything from his diet to his being nocturnal. It certainly served to normalize being a vampire surprisingly quickly.

He obediently stood still as Yuffie pelted him with another snowball, which thankfully only hit him in the chest. She laughed triumphantly and cartwheeled onto a wall, running away before he could retaliate.

A quiet chuckle from behind him alerted Cloud to a new arrival. If his heart were still beating it might have leaped in his chest, or possibly skipped a beat, or performed any number of fancy acrobatics in response to seeing his lover leaning against the wall. Luckily his body was well past embarrassing him in such a way.

Leon had a smirk on his face, giving Cloud a once-over and clearly lingering on the snowy imprint on his turtleneck, making him cross his arms defensively.

“Cid’s right, we’re both whipped.”

Cloud rolled his eyes. “I just know how to pick my battles. I wouldn’t put it past Yuffie to ambush me inside to finally get her hit in, and I’d rather avoid Aerith’s wrath over snowballs in the living-room.”

“Very wise.” Leon pushed himself off the wall and walked over to him until he could take Cloud’s hands. Instantly warmth seeped into him even through the other man’s gloves.

Sometimes Cloud still worried how uncomfortable it must be for Leon to touch him at all. He tried to sit close to a heater whenever possible, to give himself some semblance of body warmth. It was easier to maintain just after feeding, so he put in frequent trips to the butcher to stock up on animal blood.

Of course, Leon noticed. He never said anything, but he started seeking more physical contact, making a point of pressing his shoulder to Cloud’s when they were standing next to each other, or simply putting a hand on his arm for seemingly no reason at all. Touch wasn’t easy or instinctive for either of them, and Cloud loved him even more for the obvious effort he put into every little reassurance.

He was snapped out of his musings by the gentle touch of a gloved hand against his cheek. Clear blue eyes glanced up to meet stormy blue-grey, a wordless apology for zoning out passing between them. He stood on his tiptoes to press his lips to Leon’s, another warm point of contact that seemed to radiate even to the tips of his toes. They stayed like that for a long moment, enjoying the silence in a way they had only ever been able to with each other.

Finally, Leon broke away to deliver the message he’d come to deliver. “Speaking of Aerith, she sent me out to tell you that she’d made hot chocolate for everybody. Shame that Yuffie ran off, hers will get cold.” It had taken some trial and error, but by now they knew that Cloud could still ingest regular food. It simply wasn’t nutritious anymore and passed right through him.

Cloud quirked a brow. “You don’t sound very sorry for her.”

Leon shrugged. “I figure it would be a waste to let it cool down completely, so someone will have to save it from its sorry fate and finish it off in her place.”

He jerked forward suddenly, his chin almost hitting Cloud’s forehead. When he whirled around Cloud could see the snowball that had hit the back of his head falling from his dark hair. “Yuffie!”

The girl in question was perched on the wall again, hands indignantly on her hips. “That’s what you get for trying to steal my hot chocolate!”

With a quiet growl Leon stooped down to make his own projectile. Yuffie squeaked and turned to flee again, Leon hot on her heels to avenge their quiet moment.

Cloud watched them go, mouth tilted in a tiny smile. He’d better tell Aerith to reheat their chocolate later.


End file.
